Pinterest’s Latest Change Set to Better Businesses

My relationship with Pinterest is that like any other— ever-changing. I remember distinctly when I first learned of the photo-sharing website (on Twitter, no less) and knew I just had to score an invite during its beta testing stage to become a user. I learned how to create my boards and have been pinning numerous recipes, outfits and workouts ever since. Formats, capabilities, and number of users continue to change and grow, but it wasn’t until I started working at Kuno that I looked at Pinterest from a business standpoint. Then, last month, Pinterest introduced its latest development: Pinterest for Business.

What’s New?

Cat Lee, Pinterest Product Manager, posted the new features now available specifically to better businesses on the company's blog. “We want to help more businesses provide great content on Pinterest and make it easy to pin from their websites,” she wrote. First and foremost, businesses have new, specific Terms of Service to agree and adhere to—differentiating personal accounts from business accounts. There is even a “Logos, Trademarks and Marketing Guidelines” section that offers an even easier understanding on how to use Pinterest’s identity and assets.

Corporate users looking to create an account are encouraged to sign up directly as a business. If you already have an existing Pinterest account though, don’t worry. You won’t have to start from scratch. Pinterest is giving you the option of converting a personal account to a business account, allowing you to specify your business name and verify your website. You will also see various widgets and buttons you can include directly on your website to invite people to follow your company’s account and its boards.

Pinterest even offers case studies of successful business profiles of companies like Etsy, Jetsetter and Allrecipes. I, personally, am a fan of Etsy and found it extremely interesting to read how Pinterest has helped showcase the brand authentically and increase sales for Etsy’s sellers.

A Look to the Future

At this point, the Pinterest for Business option seems like a win-win for all. A Forbes.com article states it simply: “The more businesses join, the more content is created, repinned and circulated, and the larger the user base grows as a result.” There are even talks about the possibility of adding analytics to the social media site.

What benefits do you see in setting up a Pinterest account for your business?

After graduating from Miami University with a degree in Journalism and English, Justine immediately immersed herself into the marketing world. At Kuno, Justine assists in the execution of social media campaigns, media planning, and project execution. You can connect with her on Twitter.